1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an applicator for a creamy, lathering or pasty product, having a rigid porous dispensing dome used as the element for applying the product over the surface intended to receive the product.
More precisely, the present invention relates to an applicator for paste, lather, cream or gel, in particular an applicator intended for topical application to the skin of a user of a product with cosmetic or dermo-pharmaceutical action, such as a deodorant, perfuming, thinning or depilatory cream, a face cream or a gel for treating the scalp.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the particular case of a deodorant or antiperspirant product, it has already been proposed to apply the product by using a solid stick containing the active agent to be applied to the skin of the user; this stick is usually packaged in a case allowing it to be moved on the skin as it is consumed.
The drawbacks of such a form of presentation are, on the one hand, the requirement for special and expensive tools for packaging the product and, on the other hand, the fact that preservation of the stick is generally not perfectly ensured. This is because the solid composition used contains a large percentage of alcohol and the packaging is not generally sufficiently leaktight to prevent the alcohol from evaporating, and therefore to prevent the product from drying. Degradation of the stick therefore ensures, making the product unusable, in particular when only a small part of it remains. Comfort during use is furthermore not perfectly satisfactory because the stick lacks flexibility. Furthermore, in particular on the sensitive body regions such as the armpits, known compositions give a greasy impression on application. In brief, the user desires smooth and non-greasy application of the deodorant product, with a refreshing effect.
It has already been proposed to overcome these drawbacks by proposing an applicator of the bottle type, containing a liquid composition, there being on top of this bottle a dispensing head bearing a dispenser dome made of a rigid porous material for use as the applicator element. This type of applicator is described, for example, in EP-A-0,167,657 and FR-A-2,647,034.
The drawback of this type of packaging is twofold: on the one hand, in order to close the bottle when the product is not being used it is necessary to provide a relatively complicated dispensing head, which significantly increases the cost of the packaging; on the other hand, in order to apply the product to the skin it is necessary to perform a preliminary action of introducing the liquid into the porous dome. In these two related documents, this action consists in the prior inversion of the bottle so that the product falls under gravity into the porous dome (upside down). Furthermore, this type of packaging requires a composition with low viscosity and, in general, with a high alcohol content which firstly limits the use of new starting materials for the formulator. Furthermore, compositions for the body which contain alcohol are not very "cosmetic", and risk being poorly received by the consumer, in particular consumers who have sensitive skin. Secondly, when this applicator is laid flat, for example when the user is travelling, leaks of the product occur, in particular when the protective cap is incorrectly closed, and this constitutes a problem.